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Monday, January 19, 2009

Short Ribs Cooked Low and Slow...

I have found out that I LOVE braised meat. Big confession here (I may have confessed previously), but I have never (until now) been able to cook a roast or any type of meat that was suppose to be cooked and served like a pot roast. We have had it so bad that even after hours of cooking the meat was soooo tough that we had to order pizza!

To say the least I was very hesitant to braise or slow roast anything. Especially something that we would have to smell cooking for about 3 hrs before we could find out if it was edible or not. I managed to succeed with the Braised Chuck with Vegetables in Red Wine but this was different. I had never even had short ribs before I tried this recipe!!! Thank goodness I have Kelly of Sass & Veracity to talk me through this!!! I tried this over Christmas when my Mom was here and T. wanted it again. It was a definite hit.

When he brought home short ribs on Friday I knew I had to do something. His craving was serious.

Now, I have a bit of a problem though. I liked it but there are so many more recipes out there that I want to try. Once you get over a fear of something you want to try it again and again right??? That's what this was like. I hunted and searched for some new recipes. The only one that really caught my eye was one I found on Epicurious. It was an interesting recipe and I thought about it all day but after I read the comments on the recipe (love Epicurious because there are comments from people who have tried the recipe and are willing to give feedback on it) I had to say no to it. I just had such a hard time wrapping my head around chocolate being in it. Really funny thing is though that while I was watching TV on Saturday night Megan from Megan's Cookin posted the very same recipe and said it turned out great!!! It is definitely saved and waiting for the next time.

Now that I am more comfortable with this method I am able to change the recipes around a bit and be a little more flexible than I was before. This was probably the very best that these turned out! My youngest one loved them and ended up eating 4 large ribs!

Play around with this recipe it is very flexible...I used parsnip and no shallots. Cooked more ribs in the same liquid and reduced the amount of wine and it turned out incredible!!!

Beef Short Ribs in Wine (I got from Sass & Veracity who adapted it fromThe Martha Stewart Living Cookbook...)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Sprinkle all surfaces of the beef with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or large lidded, oven proof pot, heat 2 T of the olive oil and brown the short ribs, turning each to make sure a nice, rich color is achieved on each side. Remove the ribs to a bowl as they finish browning before adding the remainder.

After all the ribs have been browned, add the remaining 1 T of olive oil with the carrots, celery, onions, and shallots to the pot. Over medium heat, cook, stirring frequently until veggies have begun to soften, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the flour and tomato paste, mixing well for about 1 minute. Add the port and stir, scraping the brown coating from the bottom of the pan. Add the red wine and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced, 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves, veal stock, herbs, and short ribs with juices to the pot and return to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, stirring into the mixture, place a lid on the pot and put into the oven for approximately 3 hours until meat is extremely tender.

I've been absent from reading blogs for a few days and what do you but go and make 3 of the most incredible looking meals and I'm sitting here drooling! First it was the chili... now these beautiful short ribs... and next, the cabbage rolls! You are killing me here! :) Hungry!!!

These are several braised meat recipes within Peruvian cooking that I found I really like. I think it produces such a lovely flavor. Glad you found a winner for your family. It looks incredibly delicious!